World Briefs

LONDON – British troops will begin withdrawing from Iraq in March and will mostly be gone by June, the Ministry of Defense said Wed.

Britain has about 4,000 troops in southern Iraq. It expects to begin withdrawing them after regional elections planned for next month, the ministry said, confirming reports in British media.

The number of troops will fall to 300-400 by midyear, the reports said. A U.S. brigade will replace the British force at Basra airport, ministry officials told reporters from British media in a briefing Tuesday. The ministry confirmed reports of the briefing to AP.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – U. S. Special Forces killed six Afghan police and wounded 13 early Wednesday in a case of mistaken identity after the police fired on the Americans during an operation against an insurgent commander, officials said.

A U.S. military statement said police fired on the American forces after the troops battled and killed an armed militant in the city of Qalat, the capital of the southern province of Zabul. The Americans returned fire on the police but only later learned their identities. One Afghan civilian was also killed in the exchange.

"Coalition forces deeply regret the incident of mistaken fire," said Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. military spokesman. "Initial reports indicate this was a tragic case of mistaken identity on both parts.”

HAVANA – Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque defended Cuba's human rights record Wednesday, recognizing some "imperfections" but saying the communist-run island can be proud of how it has treated its people.

"After 50 years, a work has been constructed favoring the rights of all Cubans," Perez Roque said, referring to the Cuban revolution's half-century in power. The minister called it an "imperfect work," but said, "Cuba can celebrate this day with head held high."

Perez Roque spoke as he arrived for an international conference on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

MULTAN, Pakistan – Pakistan has detained a second alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the prime minister said Wednesday, apparently making good on pledges to pursue the perpetrators.

The announcement of the arrest of Zarrar Shah — following Sunday's detention of another alleged Mumbai plotter, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and other alleged militants — could deflect intense U.S. and Indian pressure on Pakistan following the attack.

But much will now depend on whether Pakistan's young civilian government keeps up the pressure on the militant groups believed to have been fostered by the country's powerful security agencies.